Principles of Relevance and Materiality

Restatement of the Law of Evidence (Prime Perspective)

Tanmoy Bhattacharyya

Howrah District Court

Bar Association Room No-1

18th Novemeber 2025

Part I: The Principle of Relevance

The law of evidence rests upon a single, unyielding cornerstone — relevance. A fact is relevant when it bears any rational connection, however slight, to a fact of consequence in the adjudication of rights. It need not conclusively prove or disprove the matter asserted; it suffices that it renders that matter more probable or less probable than it would appear without the evidence. The law admits of no degrees of relevance: a fact is either within the compass of relevance, or it is not.

From this foundation flows the general rule of admissibility: all relevant evidence is admissible, save where its reception is forbidden by constitutional command, statutory exclusion, or a recognized doctrine of public policy. The sources of exclusion are limited and specific; they do not extend to matters of professional etiquette or judicial convenience.

Relevance thus performs a dual function. It filters out the immaterial, ensuring that adjudication proceeds on rational grounds; and it dignifies the fact-finding process by confining it to that which assists reason, rather than passion or conjecture. The law presumes the tribunal competent to assess weight once relevance is established; the task of admissibility is to determine entry, not persuasion.

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